The Shala will be closed Friday, February 3 for Disting/Imbolc/Vasant Panchami – the first of Spring.

February 3 marks the beginning of Spring. Not actual Spring – which comes with the Spring Equinox in March – but the seasonal shift that marks a turning away from Winter’s cold.

Disting means ‘woman’s assembly’, and is a traditional European tide that celebrates the beauty and strength of female energy. Likewise, this time of year – between Winter Solstice and Spring Equinox – was considered a time of Learning, a time for concentration and deliberation, of contemplative thought, and dreams.